


That Gorgeous, Asthmatic Idiot

by TheMotherNerd



Category: Bob's Burgers (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Smut, haven't finished, maybe later - Freeform, not sure yet - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-03-11 19:30:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13531062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMotherNerd/pseuds/TheMotherNerd
Summary: Louise Belcher was not the kind of girl to fall for anyone, much less a scrawny idiot with multiple health issues.That is, until that stupid Valentine's Day.





	1. Fit to Burst: Louise's Perspective

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you for reading my first fanfiction EVER! I've never done this before, but I had to get this out after reading all the glorious stories on this website.   
> Please leave a comment! I'm going to be posting more, beause I have SO MANY ROUDIES FEELS OKAY.

It all started that freaking Valentine’s Day.

She honestly didn’t think of him that way before. She didn’t, swear to God! He was just a buddy, until she saw him buying those stupid love weeds. She tried everything to get him to give her up, not even admitting to herself how much she wanted him not to. The booger story grossed her out even more than him, and even THAT didn’t work. Then she found out it was Chloe Barbash that was getting his affection, and it stung.

She could admit that now: it had been five years. Mind you, she didn’t _want_ to, but she _could_. Back then, though, she wouldn’t have _**dreamed**_ of it. She was Louise freaking BELCHER, for crying out loud! She didn’t catch feelings! I mean, she did once…but nope. Not going toward the Boo Boo train again. This was about her Rudy, not that blonde garbage angel.

Wait, HER Rudy? No, NO BRAIN! That is NOT HAPPENING!

But she couldn’t help it anymore. She couldn’t keep herself from thinking about that asthmatic idiot every single day, and dreaming about that Valentine’s Day kiss every stupid night.

She was going soft.

It didn’t help to see Reg Size every day, even on the weekends. They were inseparable most of the time, especially now that they were in high school, and Gene and Tina were all caught up in college prep and had little time for her. That was fine: it gave her more time with her boyfriend.

UGH, no. NOT her boyfriend, no matter how much he wanted him to be. And she did, damn it. She hated herself for it, but she freaking did. 

And she knew she had to say something. ANYTHING.

Because he was staring at her, waiting on her to talk.

They were out on the grounds of Huxley High, ignoring the ever-insistent bell calling them back to class. He was standing there, looking so adorable she thought she'd _die_ if she didn’t kiss him or slap him or freaking SOMETHING, waiting to see if she was going to follow him back inside to science. The warning bells in her head were ringing so loud, she was surprised he couldn’t hear them. She had to speak.

“Louise?”

Damn it. Who gave him the freaking right to say her name like that?

“Seriously, Louise. Let’s go. If you skip science again, Mr. Graham will kill you.”

She violently shook her head, making her ears flop wildly around. It seemed to wake her up a bit.

“Come on, Rudy.”

She grabbed his hand, and pulled him down the stairs toward an abandoned section of the grounds that was hidden from sight of the door. She was freaking done with this crap. She didn’t do the thinking, she did the acting. She did what needed to be done, or at least what she thought needed to be done, to get what she wanted. And right now, and for a long time before now, she wanted only one thing.

Him.

She had to give him credit: he didn’t protest. He just went along with her, with whatever scheme she was cooking up, a willing participant in her every plan. 

God, did she ever love that about him.

Sure, she had called him a doormat, a pushover, and things like it, but that was when OTHER people were taking advantage of him. SHE would never do that…again. She winced inwardly, remembering the bounce house incident…

She refocused her thoughts. She had to do this: her sanity depended on it. She couldn’t go on like this anymore.

She had to _**know**_. She knew she wouldn’t like the answer, but she still had to hear it.

They stopped by a large tree that blocked their view of the school. She threw him down, harder that she meant to, into the soft grass at the base of the tree. Then she began pacing frantically in front of him, reaching up to pull her ears in a fit of massive panic.

He just took the punishment. Of course he did, he was freaking wonderful. He stared up at her, a puzzled and worried expression fighting for dominance on his face. 

“Louise, what’s the plan?”

He was always ready to go with her, to do whatever she said. Always ready to play his part in her genius plans. The look he gave her, expectant with a hint of fear, made her stop in her tracks. He wasn’t just wonderful, he was gorgeous. 

She had no words. Seriously, not one. She, Louise Belcher. The one person who always had the perfect comeback, the perfect snarky remark, was completely speechless in the presence of this disgusting, beautiful, overly-sheltered idiot.

She couldn’t take it anymore. She had to do it, or she would burst.

She closed the distance between them, distance she had never wanted in the first place, and fell on top of him, knocking him backwards onto the grass. Then she kissed him. Hard.

_Oh man. Oh God, what am I doing? Cut me open, I’m infected! GET OFF HIM, YOU STUPID IDIOT!_

Her mind was screaming at her, but her body wasn’t responding. It just kept right on kissing his breathless lips. She couldn’t make herself stop, she had lost complete control. She wanted him, she loved him, and that’s all there was frickin’ to it. She wasn’t going to stop now.

Until she felt his chest heaving under her, and heard his ragged breaths as his asthma forced her off him so he could breathe. She rolled to the side and onto the grass, listening to him gasp for breath and fumble out his inhaler. She visibly relaxed when she heard him puff on it twice and his breathing regulate. She couldn’t take hearing him gasp like that: it scared her to death every single time. 

Her mind was blank. She had done it. She had shown Rudy how she felt about him, and she did it without saying a word. And now, he wasn’t talking either.

She was scared to death again, but not because he wasn’t breathing. It was because he wasn’t talking.

Was it that bad? Had she ruined absolutely everything? Was he going to stop hanging out with her now, stop being her friend? She would not, could not, stand for that. He was everything to her, always had been. He couldn’t leave her, not now.

_Could he?_

She felt tears in her eyes at the mere thought of not having Rudy in her life anymore. She never cried, but this gorgeous idiot was making her do it without saying anything. She couldn’t believe it, couldn’t fathom the strength of her feelings. Even Tina didn’t cry over boys: mostly, she just moaned, but no real tears. What was it about him that made her so…teenager-y?

She knew what it was, obviously. It wasn’t him, really: it was how she felt. It was how much he meant to her. How much she cared about him.

How much she loved him.

“Say something, damn it,” she said softly.


	2. Fit to Burst: Rudy's Perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now we get to see what Louise's breakdown looked like to Rudy.

Yeah, that Valentine’s Day was weird. Amazing and brilliant, but definitely weird.

He never even thought about her that way, even after.

She burned too bright for him to ever even consider it.

She was the sun in his sky, the stars that shone on the cold night that was his life. He didn’t know anyone like her, and he knew he’d never meet anyone who could hold a candle to her brilliance.

But he never entertained those thoughts about her. He couldn’t, he knew there was no way. He loved her, obviously, but like a plant loves the sunshine that is his life-giving energy. She gave his life meaning, but it was never anything more. He wouldn’t dare.

He was content just to be her tagalong, her friend. He loved his time with her, but lately it seemed that she was pulling away. He didn’t know if he could stomach that.

Granted, there wasn’t a lot he _could_ stomach. Stupid allergies.

Besides her, there wasn’t really much in his life that he had to enjoy. His parents were divorced, and they didn’t seem to care too much about him one way or the other. He was a hindrance to his dad finding love again, and his health issues were a burden to his mom, or at least it felt that way. The Pesto twins were nice, and the Belchers always treated him well, but it was really only Louise that he could count as a real friend. She was pretty much all he had. So, her leaving him behind for the next big thing would leave him pretty much destitute. He’d been there before, but not since they started hanging out. And he didn’t know if he wanted to go back to that. 

Scratch that, he _**knew**_ he didn’t want to go back to that.

His mind was racing right now. She was just… _staring_ at him. Just…staring. Not responding, not making any kind of face. Just… _staring_.

“Louise?”

She visibly startled. Whatever it was that was keeping her brain occupied was so engrossing that she didn’t even have the focus to notice him in front of her. He wondered if he had done something wrong, or if she was just cooking up some diabolical plan that was keeping her thoughts captive.

Either way, at this point, he was afraid to find out.

“Seriously, Louise. Let’s go. If you skip science again, Mr. Graham will kill you.”

A violent shake of her head sent her bunny ears flapping. Now he was a little scared. This was not the Louise he was used to. She was off somewhere, digging through the infinite recesses of her brain for something. If only he knew what.

Then she did something that he never would have expected.

She grabbed his hand.

“Come on, Rudy,” she almost growled. She dragged him across the grounds, to a spot he knew well. It was her favorite spot to go to when she wanted to be away from the prying eyes of the student body and the teachers.

He was definitely scared now. Either she was mad at him(something that had never really happened), or she was cooking up a scheme so diabolical that he couldn’t even fathom the amount of danger and trouble it would put them in. He figured he was about to find out, and it scared him either way. 

She threw him down at the base of the tree. Hard. He was occupied for a few minutes rubbing his injured butt, wondering what could have sparked that kind of violence toward him. He didn’t like the answers his brain was giving back to him.

All his life, he had been sheltered. His mom kept him from everything that might be harmful to him, both physically and mentally. He had very little in his life to be glad for, especially after his parents’ divorce. After that, his life was one long string of packing and moving from house to house, never truly feeling happy anywhere. 

Then he met Louise.

In an instant, his whole life had changed. After that first field trip to the museum, they had been inseparable. He went along with every plan she had, every scheme she concocted, and he loved it. Every minute he spent with her was a breath of fresh air in his closeted life. 

It would be hard to lose that.

But it looked like it was about to be gone. He rubbed his smarting bum and tried to think of what he might have done to deserve the onset of her wrath.

Then he noticed what she was doing.

She was _pacing_. 

Frantically, in fact. She was pulling on her ears, and she was muttering to herself. He couldn’t make out any words, but something had her completely out of her element, and she didn’t like it.

He had to find out what was going on. And he wanted to know if it was him or her.

“Louise, what’s the plan?”

For some reason, these four words made her freeze in her tracks. Now he was freaked: something was wrong. He didn’t know what, but something had gone very, very wrong.

He was scared. He kept waiting for her to speak. He didn’t have to wait long.

She attacked him, throwing him to the ground with her on top of him.

_And she started _ **kissing**_ him._

Rudy’s brain short-circuited. The error messages in his head were overtaking everything. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t move. He just continued to kiss her, although she was really kissing him.

His brain finally snapped back to life with a single phrase:

LOUISE LIKES YOU!

His eyes snapped open. No way! There was NO WAY. Louise Belcher? Liked…him?? Um….no. He was scrawny, slow, and had multiple health issues that meant he would never be a normal kid. She was bright, fiery, genius, and assertive to a fault.

No way. There was NO way she liked him. It was impossible!

And yet, here she was, on top of him, with her lips crammed against his. 

He started to wheeze. It was the only reaction he could muster, the only thing his body could do at the moment.

As soon as she heard the wheeze, she broke the kiss and rolled off him onto the grass beside him He was acutely aware of her body heat as he fumbled out his inhaler with shaking hands and regulated his lungs with a few puffs. His brain was still in error mode.

What did she think she was doing, kissing him like that? Was it a pity kiss? Did someone dare her to do it? No, that doesn’t fit. Louise didn’t do anything unless she really wanted to.

Then everything started to click into place, slowly but surely.

Louise did nothing she didn’t want to do, no matter how much pressure there was.  
Louise had been acting weird all day.  
She had been spaced out and anxious since lunch.  
She had kissed him.  
Conclusion: Louise liked him. That was the only logical explanation. And yet, there was no logic to it. He was nothing, she was everything. A god doesn’t pine after a mortal, do they? 

Rudy had pretty strong evidence to say they did, judging by what had just happened.

So, Louise liked him. Now what?

She had made her wants pretty clear. What did he want?

Then he realized, that wasn’t even a question. Of course he wanted to be with her. Of course he loved her. There was no doubt in his mind that he was in love with Louise Belcher. Two minutes before this, he never would have even entertained the idea, but now that it was out there he realized his feelings toward Louise had been there since the day they met. She gave his life purpose and excitement, and now she wanted to give him love. And he would gladly take it, and return it tenfold.

Because that’s how their relationship worked. She gave, and he gave back more.

And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Say something, damn it,” she said softly.

He didn’t say a word, he just rolled on top of her and gave her back as good as she gave. Their lips met again, and both of them knew:

Life would never be the same again.


	3. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened after the kiss to rule them all

They spent the next few hours making out under the tree. It was all they could think to do, at least for the moment. They weren’t really wanting to do much else right then, either.

Louise was the first to say something. “So…now what?”

Rudy raised his head. “What do you mean?”

For his part, he was content to lay in that grass and continue kissing her. He was afraid that if he stopped, she’d come to her senses and realize who she was kissing, and it would all be over for them.

Them. He liked the sound of that.

Louise sat up, causing Rudy to roll gently to one side. For her part, she wanted nothing more than to just lay there and continue kissing. It was all she had wanted for a while now. But now that she had done it, and it turned out he reciprocated, she didn’t know what to do with herself.

“I mean it, Rudy. What happens now?” 

Rudy shrugged. “I’m not sure. You started this, I’m just happy to go along for the ride.”

She smiled at him. That was her Rudy. “Well, I guess we’re dating now. Are you good with that?”

He didn’t really answer with words.

She was left speechless again, breathless from kissing. “So, we’re dating. What exactly does that mean for us? How does our relationship change? Does it change at all, beyond the occasional makeout sesh? I mean, there’s a freaking lot to process now, Rudes. How much has to change?”

Rudy felt a little shocked. She’d obviously done a lot of thinking about this. “I mean, some things will change a bit, I guess. But not a lot. We’re still buds, Louise. We’re just buds in love now.” He smiled at her, but she didn’t return it.

“But what has to change? What if we break up? What if we find out we can’t be together like that? What if our friendship doesn’t work after this? I can’t lose you, Rudy. Not now, you mean too much. Even if we break up, I’ll still want to be friends with you. You’re pretty much all I got, kid. That’s why I didn’t say anything for so long: I didn’t know how all this would work, and I was…I was scared.”

Rudy’s eyes widened. “Scared of what, Louise? Of losing me? Come on, you shoulda known that would never happen. You’re all I got too. I don’t have anybody else. I couldn’t stand to lose you either.”

“But what if, Rudes? What if this all explodes in our faces? What if I do something stupid and you never want to see me again?”

“Are you planning on doing something stupid, Louise?”

“Of COURSE NOT! I never PLAN on doing stupid stuff, Rudy! But half of my stunts end up hurting someone, whether they deserve it or not! I’m a danger to people around me, Rudy! You know that better than anyone! What if I majorly screw up and you get hurt? What would I do then, huh? Just let you leave? Just know that I ruined the best thing to ever happen to me because I thought I was invincible? TELL ME THAT, HUH?”  
She had gotten up and started pacing again. She was frantic, and back to her normal self, but Rudy could tell what was happening. 

She was terrified.

He couldn’t believe his ears. Louise Belcher was so scared of losing him that it was sending her into hysterics. He had never seen her this scared since she nearly electrocuted Tina during the science fair. He never thought he’d mean that much to her, or anyone. He stood up and put his hands on her shoulders to stop her pacing. He felt her shaking under his grip, and he saw tears glistening in her eyes.

“LOUISE! Listen to me. I don’t care what happens between us, okay? We’ve been buddies for a long time, and that isn’t going away just because you developed a crush on me. I have no idea why you did, but I’m thrilled about it. A few hours ago, I had never even considered being more than friends. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I never dreamed you’d actually like me. Now that I know you do, there’s no way I’m letting you go now. You’re stuck with me, however you’ll have me, until one of us dies. Okay? So breathe. You’re starting to freak me out. Everything’s fine, and we’re fine.”

Louise smiled through her tears. He was everything she needed. She’d never met someone who could calm her down from one of her freakouts, not even Bob. And here Rudy was, calming her down with just a few words and two hands on her shoulders. Damn it, he was amazing.

“Damn it. You’re amazing, Rudes.”

He just smiled and pulled her close to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure where to go after the first two chapters. This one is shorter than the first two, but it's just a bridge to get us to the rest of the story after "the kiss".  
> Thank you SOOOO much for all your comments and kudos! Keep them coming, they are so encouraging!


	4. The Parents Have To Know, Right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that they're established, Louise and Rudy have a new problem: telling Bob and Linda.

It had been six months, and Louise still hadn’t told Bob and Linda.

“You’re going to have to say something to them,” Rudy told her. “They’re going to figure it out eventually.”  
Louise gave him a sideways look. If she knew her parents-and she did-they weren’t going to make the connection until she told them outright, and maybe even not then. Bob was busy trying to keep the restaurant afloat to notice anything that wasn’t plopped down right in front of his face, and Linda didn’t want to even think about it just yet for Louise. Tina, maybe, but not Louise. It wasn’t likely, at any rate. 

“Trust me, I’ll tell them,” she promised. “Just as soon as one of my other siblings messes up or gets a significant other.” Rudy rolled his eyes. It wasn’t like he didn’t feel confident in his relationship: Louise gave him absolutely no doubts in that regard. But he knew that she wouldn’t really be happy with this until her parents knew and approved, especially Bob.

Then Rudy had an idea.

He debated telling Louise about it. It might be better if she knew, but it also might freak her out and cause a fight. However, keeping quiet might do the same thing. It really depended, he decided, on the outcome of his plan.

He decided to test the waters.

“You know, Louise,” he said slowly, “I could tell them for you.”

She turned to look at him. “You’re kidding, right?” She laughed a short, derisive snort. “Dad would literally murder you. Mom would smother you to death. You’d die twice, Rudes. Seriously, I’ll handle it.”

Rudy sunk back in his chair. Then he perked up again, looking at his girlfriend. He couldn’t stand seeing her this upset about it, even though she didn’t really show it. He knew what to do. He stood.  
“Where are you headed, Rudes?”  
“I’m gonna go get something from my locker before fifth period. I’ll be in there in just a sec. Save my seat, okay?” He pecked her on the cheek almost unthinkingly, making her blush deep red, and hurried off. If he saw her quizzical shrug, he didn’t acknowledge it.

Rudy wasn’t sure where Tina was right now, but he went by her locker to see if he could find her. Lucky for him, she was standing there. With Zeke, of all people. He didn’t have time to question the oddness of THAT pairing.

“Hey Tina.” He waited for her acknowledging smile. “Can I talk to you? It’s important, but I promise it isn’t bad.” She smiled again.  
“Sure Rudy. Zeke, can you give us a minute? I’ll see you in a second, and we’ll keep talking, okay?”  
“Aight T-Bird. See you in a second.”  
Tina turned to Rudy, who had suddenly become very curious and a little sweaty. He pumped his inhaler twice before speaking. “Louise and I are dating.” He spit it out in one breath, as he exhaled. Tina’s smile got bigger.  
“Obviously. Why’d you take so long to tell me?”

Rudy paused, then relaxed. See, THIS is why he picked Tina. He didn’t know she knew, but out of all the Belchers, she would be the least surprised. And that’s what he needed right now.  
“Louise didn’t know how to tell your mom and dad. She’s freaking out that your dad will get mad and your mom will get too excited. She seems to think it will make her life hell.”

Tina frowned a bit. “I can see Dad getting a bit upset, but only because she’s the baby. He likes you, Rudy, and so does Mom. If she’s going to date anyone, they’d probably be happiest with you rather than one of the twins or someone else in your grade. She doesn’t need to worry about it. Did she tell Gene?”  
“No. She hasn’t told anyone, not even Jessica. I think she’s afraid of losing her independent persona or something.” Tina nodded.  
“I’ll go talk to her.”  
Rudy went bright red. “I didn’t tell you. She’d murder me in cold blood.”  
Tina smiled as she walked away. “Trust me, Rudy. I know how to play the game.”

Rudy watched her go, and suddenly got very curious about her conversation before he walked up. What was she talking to Zeke about? He rushed off to class with Louise, stopping by his locker to grab a book before going back, to see what she thought about it. Trying to figure out what was going on between Tina and Zeke would take her mind off the conundrum of Bob and Linda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO SORRY ABOUT THE DELAY!
> 
> Life has been awful lately, but I'm ba-ack! I'll be posting the next few chapters pretty soon, as I'm writing as you read this. :)


	5. The Conflict

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was only one person who could ruin the awesome relationship Louise had going with Rudy:
> 
> Logan. Berry. Bush.

There was only three words that could have possibly ruined Rudy and Louise’s relationship, and they all walked into the restaurant that day.  
Logan. Berry. Bush.

“Oh Jesus,” Louise blurted out as soon as his blond-topped mug walked through the restaurant’s door. “What the hell do you want?” Bob started to protest from the back, until he caught sight of who it was. Then he(wisely, he thought) slowly melted away so he could be a mere passing observer to whatever mischief was about to happen. He thanked the stars that Linda was out, or else everything would have gotten _very_ nasty.  
Logan just smirked knowingly at Louise as he planted himself at the counter right in front of her. “What, you aren’t pleased to see me?” Louise continued wiping the counter, not making eye contact and pretending he wasn’t there. He continued grinning. “I thought you’d be excited that I was back in town. Your life must have been boring as hell without me to make it…interesting.”  
Louise rolled her eyes, but otherwise made no effort to acknowledge his existence.   
“I’m only back for the weekend, Louise. I thought maybe we could catch up on things while I’m here.”  
THIS is what made her finally look up at him. “Catch up on what, exactly?” She knew the answer, or thought she did. She needed to hear him say it, though, so the forthcoming punch would be justified.  
“Life. Stuff. You know,” he trailed off a bit, sounding, of all things, a little nervous. “Us.”  
She just stared. Her brain was on high alert, running through all the possible implications of the word “us” in the context of Logan. None of them were even remotely good, or even plausible. She chose her next words carefully.  
“Logan,” she said slowly and without making any eye contact, “did you think there used to be…something between us?”  
His eyes lit up. “I was hoping so. I mean, all the fighting and stuff, that was all for show, right? Just, I don’t know, playful banter. It was obvious, wasn’t it? That I was totally into you? And you were kind of into me? I just wanted to get back to that, and see what happens. It’ll just be casual, but it might be fun, right?”  
All of this spilled out of him like it was obvious, anyone who acted like that to each other must just be flirting, right? It couldn’t be actual hatred, could it?  
Louise, for the second time in her fourteen years, was speechless with shock.  
“Logan, I’m going to say this to you, and I’m going to use small, easy words so you get it through your thick, disgusting skull: I. HATE. YOU. I have ALWAYS hated you, ever since I first saw you riding your STUPID skateboard and threatened me and my siblings. You are nothing but an AWFUL human being, and if I NEVER see you again, it will be TOO SOON! Now get the HELL out of my restaurant, and NEVER come back here again!”  
He looked genuinely dumbstruck. Seriously, he did! What kind of IDIOT was he? What kind of MORON thinks a NINE YEAR OLD is flirting with them when she treats them like garbage? Louise knew the answer: a confident asshole like stupid Logan. All she could think about was how glad she was that Rudy wasn’t there to see that: he would have read ALL KINDS of awful things into that, and she did NOT have the patience to deal with that right now.   
Then she realized, she should have kept her stupid mouth shut.  
Here comes Rudy, in a paroxysm of bad timing, walking into the restaurant for their customary hangout.   
And Logan was STILL SITTING THERE LIKE A STUPID IDIOT.  
“GO AWAY LOGAN,” she said more forcefully, reaching over the counter to shove his shoulder to snap him out of his dumb stupor and make him leave.  
Bad move.  
He caught her hand and held it, just as Rudy walked in and spotted them both. He smirked, raised her struggling hand to his mouth, and KISSED IT. RIGHT IN FRONT OF RUDY AND HER FREAKING DAD. Louise screamed and jerked her hand away hard, nearly falling over with the force as he let go and stood up. “See you soon, Louise!” He sauntered off, throwing one last smirk over his shoulder as he walked right past Rudy and out the door. Louise picked herself up, suppressing the urge to run after him and beat his ass to a pulp, but just barely. She softened a bit when she saw Rudy’s face.  
She had only really seen Rudy mad once, when she screwed up his ninth birthday party by stealing the bounce house from that idiot Dahlia. His face had gone all red then, and his fists had balled up and were pressed against his head in an effort to not explode. She had genuinely thought he was having an asthma attack at the time, until he full-on blew up at her. But that’s not what he looked like now.  
Right now, he looked… _dead_.  
Like there was no feeling or emotion in his face at all. He was completely deadpan, with no trace of anything showing in his face.   
Nothing had ever scared Louise more in her short life than her boyfriend making that face.  
“R-Rudy? You alright there, Rudes?”  
He didn’t answer, he just turned on his heel and walked right back out of the restaurant. He didn’t run, he didn’t hurry at all. He was just so…calm. It unnerved Louise to no end.   
“Dad.”  
Bob was there, almost immediately, in the tiny window to the kitchen. “You alright, Louise?”  
“I gotta go. I’ll be back in a little bit. Gene and Tina should be home soon, so you’ll have help. Don’t wait up if I’m late.”  
Bob was understandably concerned. “Louise, please don’t hurt anybody. I know you’re pissed, but please just…don’t get sent to jail. I don’t have any bail money.”  
Louise was already out the door. Bob wasn’t sure if she had even heard him.


End file.
